Earlier this year, I randomly came across a Facebook post which said that some bloke called Joel Grind was giving away his first solo album for free download on his bandcamp page. Looking at the name and artwork of the album (he called it ‘The Yellowgoat Sessions’), I naturally was intrigued. Little did I know that I was about to discover a musician whose genius cannot be contained in a few words. This guy has been as active as quicksilver, with his numerous side projects aside from his main project i.e. Toxic Holocaust. What is fascinating about this, is each and every project of his, has a unique sound and no two projects sound the same! Coming back to his main project, Toxic Holocaust had been silent for almost a year, before announcements came that a new album was in the works and immediately this album shot up to the top of the ‘Albums I look forward to list’. After some impatient waiting, it is finally here.

The first guy who ever had the idea to mix Black Metal and Thrash Metal, was a true visionary indeed. The rapidity and aggressiveness of Thrash Metal and the dark evil tone of Black Metal complement each other in a manner that it feels totally natural. These two genres were meant to be together! It goes without saying that Black Thrash Metal is fast growing to become one of my favorite sub genres of all time. And one of the fast rising bands in this genre is the mighty Skeletonwitch. Their last album, ‘Forever Abomination’ ended up in lot of top 20 lists of 2011. Will they be able to create the same magic (or should I say black magic?) with their upcoming album?

There used to be a time when the riff was the protagonist. The riffs were simple in their structure and yet so effective in carrying the entire song forward. That time is described by many as the golden era of heavy metal before the technological advancements changed the game completely. If you are someone who misses the good old days of riff based heavy music, then fret not. Sideburn, with their heavy stoner rock tunes, take the listeners back to the good ol’ days of metal.

The Indian metal scene is no stranger to Black Metal. Over the years, many Black Metal bands have come and gone but only a few have stood the test of time. One such band, is Cosmic Infusion from Mumbai. Formed in 2003 and having survived many lineup changes, the band has finally delivered a self titled EP that lives up to the long wait. The band is also part of the line up in the upcoming third edition of Black Metal Krieg, a festival that exclusively features Black Metal bands in the country. I got a chance to interview the band, thanks to Kunal Choksi of Transcending Obscurity. Here’s how it went…